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Hello everyone, it's been a minute! We're back with a pre-race briefing with George Ruiz, race director for the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs coming up on July 18th-19th, 2026!

We cover a lot of race details in this episode and take a number of questions from the audience so make sure to tune in if you're running any of the distances from 23 km to 100 miles! George strives to put on a top-notch race for all of the entrants, and you can find out lots of details here.

Best of luck to all runners, and enjoy your journey on the trail!

Volunteers needed too!

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Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin

The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon

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Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

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Hi everyone! It's been a while, and life just gets busy with work, family, trying to train and keeping up with all of the springtime events! Sorry we've been out of touch, but look for new full-length episodes later in July and August.

In the meantime, since Jess and I both volunteered at Western States this past weekend, we thought it would be fun to record some mini episodes to let you know what we were up to! We hope you'll enjoy these, and we'll talk to you again soon!

https://www.wser.org/

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In this episode of The Mile 99 Interview, we sit down with Mike Dimond, a hometown ultrarunner from Auburn, CA, who just punched his ticket to the 2025 Western States 100—not in the main lottery, but through the exclusive M45 Automotive Auburn residents raffle!

A Sacramento Metro firefighter, father, and long-time runner, Mike shares how living in the shadow of the Western States finish line shaped his dream, and how his name being drawn at the post-lottery raffle changed everything.

🔥 In This Episode:

• 🏠 Auburn Roots – Mike’s journey from where he grew up to making a home in the Endurance Capital of the World.
• 🚒 Balancing the Firehouse & the Finish Line – Insights into life as a Sac Metro firefighter and the delicate balance of career, family, and ultrarunning.
• 🏃‍♂️ Running Journey – From school sports to long miles on the trail, and how he first discovered the magic of Western States.
• 🎟️ The Lucky Draw – How the M45 Automotive local raffle gave him an unexpected shot at 100 miles in 2025.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Training Talk – Who’s helping him prep? What does his training look like? And how do work shifts factor in?
• 🧠 Mental Grit – How Mike deals with setbacks and tough races, and the mindset he’s building for the big day.
• 🥾 The Support Squad – Crew, pacers, and the power of local running groups and training partners in the Auburn area.

This episode is a testament to perseverance, community, and what can happen when preparation meets a little bit of lottery luck!

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

• Western States Endurance Run
• Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District
• M45 Automotive – Auburn, CA

🎧 Whether you’re a Western States hopeful or just love a great story from the trail, this one will leave you fired up!
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The Mile 99 Interview | Linktree

Your Hosts: Jessica Harris / Greg Larkin

The Mile 99 Interview is creating podcast episodes | Patreon

Venmo | The Mile 99 Interview

Intro/outro music: Joseph McDade - Elevation: https://josephmcdade.com/music/elevation

Support the show